Teaching Beyond the Curriculum

Abstract

This paper scrutinizes the early architectural education of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) from 1920 to 1937 and makes inquiries about its reception of Russian constructivism. Established in 1920 by the Chinese Eastern Railway Company, the school was intended as a training ground for engineers and technical personnel, employing a host of eminent Russian technical professionals who migrated to Harbin following the 1917 October Revolution. While some existing studies suggest that HIT adhered to a pre-revolutionary Russian educational model during its early years and found no evidence of its connection with Russian constructivism, it is important to approach these claims with caution given the intricate political landscape of the time. This study delves into HIT’s formative years, performing an analysis of its historical context, institutional framework, and pedagogical approaches. The findings reveal that HIT underwent rounds of significant transformations, influenced by the scrambles of sovereignty over Chinese Eastern Railway between the White and Red Russian armies, as well as between China and various international superpowers. The study exposes the ideological challenges that HIT grappled with during its establishment and the hurdles it faced while instigating educational reforms in its early years. Furthermore, the study detects signs of Russian Constructivism’s influence beginning to take root within the early educational activities of HIT. By shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of the history of Chinese architectural education, this article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the global circulation of Russian constructivism and the complex interplays between local and international contexts.